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The announcement was made at the 2014 Brewers’ Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards held on Thursday night (21 August) in Wellington.

We are blown away, the award is the icing on the cake in what’s been an excellent couple of years for the brewery. We would like to say a thank you to all our loyal customers who have enjoyed our beers over the years as we have grown and experimented. The beer industry is so supportive and encouraging, we are so proud to be part of it.

Unfortunately we couldn’t make it on the night so a huge thank you to Stu McInlay of Yeastie Boys who accepted the award and spoke on our behalf, what a star.

Townshend was up against stiff competition, with a record 670 beers from 74 New Zealand and 10 International breweries entered across 15 different categories this year.

All beer entries were rated against a style guide for each category for its aroma, colour, bitterness, flavour and presentation. A beer’s overall balance of characteristics was judged by a panel comprising 25 national and internationally qualified judges.

In addition to being named Champion Brewery, Townshend was also awarded the Champion New Zealand Manufacturer trophy and won the New Zealand Specific Style category for his Oldhams Tap Riwaka Pilsner. 12 of our other brews also earned medals.

Like most things in life, the secret to our success is passion, hard work and dedication to the task. I still enjoy brewing now as much as I ever have and I think most brewers will tell you the same. That said, it’s huge to be recognised and this award is the best possible recognition a brewer could get. It seems like only yesterday that I created my first brew in the shed.

We have some great plans afoot for the next 12 months and are looking forward to sharing more of our ales of the unexpected with an fantastic growing community of beer lovers.

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Martin Townshend built his reputation as a one-man beer brewing operation in a shed at his Upper Moutere home. But the award-winning brewer has outgrown his shed and is re-locating Townshend Brewery to...